Iran Warns Iraq over Iranians held by U.S. forces

Iran Warns Iraq over Iranians held by U.S. forces

in.today.reuter s.com

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has warned neighbouring Iraq that its failure to secure the release of five Iranians detained there by U.S. forces could impair Tehran's cooperation with Baghdad, a senior official was quoted on Sunday as saying.

Washington says the five men, detained in January in northern Iraq, are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and backing militants. Iran insists they are diplomats, wants them freed and has requested access.

"We are serious about the way we will confront those behind the arrest of the Iranian diplomats in Iraq," the semi-official Fars news agency, seen as close to the Revolutionary Guards, quoted Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying.

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How is this going to affect the current situation in Iraq?

Does this warning mean that we will see increased attacks on US and Iraqi troops with weapons supplied by Iran?

Was there supposed to be a deal concerning the detainees tied to the release of the UK 15?





in.today.reuter s.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Iran is still putting pressure on Iraq to get the five Iranian detainees released, the latest is a threat to pull out of the upcoming Iraq conference in Egypt.

The Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran: Iran's deputy foreign minister has signaled Iran may boycott the upcoming Iraq conference in Egypt if five Iranian diplomats held by the U.S. in Iraq are not released beforehand, an Iranian newspaper reported Wednesday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's comments came several days after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki warned Iraq that the continued detention of its diplomats could damage its relationship with Iran.